Five Killed in Nevada Air Ambulance Tragedy

A Pilatus PC-12 medical transport apparently suffered an in-flight breakup prior to going down in Nevada on Friday, 24 February 2023—so stated the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).  All five of the aircraft’s occupants—the pilot, a flight nurse, a flight paramedic, the patient, and a member of the patient’s family—lost their lives.

The single-turboprop-engine aircraft came to ground in a mountainous area in the vicinity of Stagecoach, Nevada. Investigators’ suppositions that the aircraft had broken up in-flight were substantiated by the discovery of aircraft debris the better part of one-mile from the primary crash-site.

NTSB vice-chair Bruce Landsberg stated during a news briefing: "How do we know if the airplane broke up in flight? We found parts of the airplane one-half to three-quarters of a mile away.”

The NTSB further disclosed that the PC-12, registration N273SM, was proceeding from Reno, Nevada (RNO) to Salt Lake City (SLC) at the time of the accident, and that the aircraft, which was built in 2002, was registered to Guardian Flight.

At the time of the flight, a National Weather Service winter storm warning was in effect for large tracts of Nevada, to include Lyon County, through which N273SM would likely have traveled while enroute to SLC. Poor weather—comprising visibility of less than two-miles in steady snow and wind gusts of up to thirty-knots—prevailed at the time of the accident.

To the subject of the accident’s cause, Mr. Landsberg remarked: "Right now, we just don't know. This is like a three-dimensional puzzle. It's harder when you don't have the pieces all in one place."

The aircraft was piloted by Scott Walton, a former marketing professional whose love of aviation compelled him to begin pilot training well into his thirties.

Mr. Walton’s brother, John—who is the radio voice of the Washington Capitals National Hockey League team—set forth in a post-incident interview: “He [Scott] uprooted his family and moved to Florida to learn to fly and then was an instructor for many years.”

A GoFundMe page set up on Saturday, 25 February for Mr. Walton’s wife and three daughters raised more than $52,000 in 24-hours. Katie Maguire Walton, the decedent’s sister-in-law and organizer of the fund-raising effort, thanked those who had contributed, stating: “Scott was driven, focused, and tireless by nature. Always pushing himself to work harder, do better … So I’m channeling that very spirit of his, and going to keep pushing. Taking care of his family would be Scott’s greatest concern and priority. Thank you for helping us shoulder this for him.”

In a subsequent Facebook post, the Walton family wrote: ”We have no doubt that whatever happened during the flight was unrecoverable and that Scott did everything possible to keep all aboard safe.”

Parties wishing to contribute to Mr. Walton's GoFundMe effort are encouraged to visit: www.gofundme.com/f/HelpScottWaltonFamily.

Aero-News Network offers its deepest condolences to Mr. Scott Walton’s family and friends.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov